Synthesis of hierarchical porous carbon particles by hollow polymer microsphere template

Carbon particles with hierarchical pore structure are prepared from resol-type phenol–formaldehyde resin using hollow polymer microspheres as template. The template microspheres have a polystyrene shell with transverse hydrophilic channels connecting to the interior cavity. They are stable and permeable, so a crosslinking catalyst can be previously loaded into the cavity reservoir. Following the incorporation of resol phenol–formaldehyde resin, the aggregates of resin and hollow microspheres have been achieved. Porous carbon particles are derived from carbonization of the composite particles. The structures of carbon materials can be tuned from open wall to closed wall by varying the resol/template weight ratio. The carbon particles are comprised of a series of pores with broad size distribution: from micropore, mesopore to macropore. The porosity development in the carbon materials has been investigated by electron micrograph and N2 adsorption.